What Are Essential Oils & Why Use Them?

Are you new to essential oils and aromatherapy? In this post I will answer two common questions. What are Essential Oils? and Why Use Them?

Essential oils are believed to offer a wide range of health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, boosting energy levels, and improving digestion. Some of the most popular essential oils include lavender oil, peppermint oil, and eucalyptus oil.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are plant extracts that are aromatic. These oils help the plant regulate growth and metabolism, builds the plant's immune system and wards off viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites and inserts. 

Like plants, these essential oils can help our body function better. Essential oils are extracted from plant leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, bark, wood, resin, and fruit. Main methods for extracting essential oils from plant are steam distillation and cold press extraction.

Essential oils are extremely concentrated, up to 70x stronger than herbs. For example, 1 drop of peppermint oil is as powerful as 28 cups of peppermint tea. 

We have 100 trillion cells in our body, one drop of essential oil contains enough molecules to cover every cell many times over. Isn't that amazing! 

Why Use Essential Oils?

Essential oils are not a new trend. They have actually been around for thousands of years. Past civilizations used them for their therapeutic and aromatic properties. 

More recently, essential oil use has had a resurgence. As people become more health aware and want more natural options, essential oils are filling that need.

Each essential oil has many medicinal properties, they vary depending on the oil. Here is a list of common essential oil medicinal properties:

• Antibacterial
• Analgesic (pain relief)
• Antidepressant
• Antifungal
• Antiviral
• Antibiotic
• Digestive
• Anti-inflammatory
• Relaxant
• Antioxidant
• Decongestant
• Antiparasitic
• Antiseptic
• Antispasmodic
• Astringent
• Diuretic
• Immune Support
• Sedative
• Expectorant
• Stimulant
• Disinfectant

Essential oils are a wonderful compliment to a healthy lifestyle. They do not prevent, treat or cure, but they are actually tools that your body can use. They work naturally with your body so your own body can heal itself. 

Essential oils are a 100% natural way to care for your health. They are completely natural, nothing has been added or taken away. So there are no side effects or addictions.

They are generally safe and effective, even for sensitive skin (just dilute with carrier oil before you apply and make sure they are high quality). There are basic safety rules for using oils and some essential oils require additional precautions, read our post on essential oil safety.

Not all essential oils are created the same. Research the oil company before you buy to guarantee high quality essential oils. Read more about how to choose high quality essential oils.

Be sure to get 100% natural & pure, no artificial ingredients, no fragrance or fillers, free of pesticides and other chemical residues.  

What Are Essential Oils Used For?

Essential oils are a popular natural remedy with a wide range of uses. When used correctly, they can help to improve your health, clean your home, and boost your mood. There are many ways to enjoy the benefits of essential oils.

Aromatherapy is the most popular use for essential oils. This involves using the oils to create a pleasing scent in the air. The fragrance of the oil can help to boost your mood, relieve stress, and promote relaxation. You can add a few drops of essential oil to an oil diffuser, or you can simply add a few drops to a cloth or tissue and inhale the scent.

Experiment with different methods to find what works best for you.

How To Use Essential Oils - 3 Methods of Use

Here are three main ways to use essential oils: Inhaling, topical application, and ingestion.

Aromatic - Inhaling Essential Oils:

- The most common way to utilize essential oils is through aromatherapy, simply smelling the aroma and inhaling it in through your nasal passages and into your lungs. This is a highly effective way to reap the benefits of essential oils.

- Aromatherapy can be achieved by simply smelling essential oils from the bottle, using a diffuser, making essential oil sprays and spritzing in your environment or through nasal inhaler. 

- Diffusing is a popular way to enjoy the benefits of essential oils. It involves using a diffuser to disperse the oil into the air, where it can be inhaled. This method is ideal for relaxation and stress relief.

Topically - Applying Essential Oils to Skin:

- The second method is by applying to skin. You can do this by diluting your essential oils first before applying. This method is great for local relief of an aliment or for generalized use.

- Massage is another popular way to use essential oils topically. The oil can be added to carrier oils such as jojoba oil or sweet almond oil, and then used for massage. The scent of the essential oil will be released as you massage it into your skin, providing you with both physical and emotional benefits.

- Applying to the bottom of the feet is another great place, especially if it is an oil smell you are not particularly found of. Learn more about where to apply essential oils.

- An easy way to apply topically is with roller bottles.  Just add 10 drops of your favorite oil or oil blend then fill rest of bottle with carrier oil and roll on where the oil is needed. Get our Roll on Recipes Guide.

Internal - Swallowing Essential Oils:

- Some essential oils can be ingested (swallowed) and may even be labeled as such. Essential oils are highly concentrated and extremely potent so caution is a must.

- Here at Loving Essential Oils, this is not a method of use we explore because there are just too many safety factors to consider. Learn more about essential oil safety.

Infusions and compresses are two other ways that essential oils can be used for therapeutic purposes. Infusions involve adding a few drops of essential oil to a bowl of hot water and inhaling the aroma.

Compresses involve soaking a cloth in a mixture of essential oil and water, and then applying it to the skin. Both infusions and compresses can help to soothe muscle pain, relieve tension headaches, and reduce inflammation.